Electric connector



(No Model.) I .Y

E. WHEELER.

r ELECTRIC CONNECTOR. l No. 453,225. Y Patented'June 2, 1891.

1 a r l ATTHNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

FRANK WHEELER, or MnRiDnN, ooNNEo'rIoUT.

ELECTRIC ooN NEoToR.

l SPECIPICATIN forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,225, dated June 2, 1 891.

Application tiled December 30,1890. Serial No. 376,297. (No model.)

' State of Connection@ have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Connectors; and vI (lo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said inventiomreference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. y Y

` My invention relates to improvements in electric connectors, and has particular reference to that class of such devices in which the main object is to obtain an immediate and automatic'separation'of the two parts when from any cause an unusual tension strain occurs in the electric conductor. l My object is to simplify the construction of such deviccsand to provide means for preventing injury to a person who might come in contact with one portion of the connector o f a live-wire While another portion of the body-isdn Contact with some short-circuiting medium. l v A My invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, ashereinatter described and claimed.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification, Figure l is a longitudinal section of my connector uniting two portions of a conductor-wire. Fig. 2 isa side elevationof one of the pair of terminals, the two being exact duplicates of each other, a portion of the sliding protector being broken out in said ligure. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. 2 Figli is a perspective view of the same, the sliding protector being omitted..

Fig. 5 isa longitudinal section of a modification hereinafter referred to, and Figli is a perspective view of a modification' hereinafterreferred to.

Each terminal consists of aLhandle A, ot wood or other non-conducting material, 1ongitudinally bored, said boring being contracted at one portion to form two shoulders a and a'. In the front .enlargement ofthe handle is a metallic block b, having a screw-threaded pin' b extending rearwardly and fitting the internally-threaded thimble b2 of the conducting-wire B. Upon screwing these parts together the terminal is .firmly secured to the Wire, owing to the rear end of the'block b and the lfront end of the thimble b2 being held closely to the shoulders a c.

To the front end of the block l) is secured by an y suitable means a contact-spring C, having its end bent at an obtuse angle in one direction, and then at a similar angle in the reverse direction,thus forming a contact and holding surface c and a guiding-lip c', whereby when two similar terminals are to be united the two lips ride over each other, guiding each in outward deflection, and then when th apexes of the two springs pass over each other the ksurfaces c will be in contact and serve to hold the two terminals against separation, owing to theY resistance of the springs, until a tension is exerted of suicient force to overcome the strength of the springs. These springs when united complete the circuit of -the conductor, and to provide against accidental contact with the end o' the spring when two terminals on parts of the connector are separated I have invented the following construction: To the front end of the handle are secured an inner and an outer ferrule d and d,`respectively,joetween which is secured a semi-tubular protector D, which extends outlv protectorD serves to prevent, under ordinary' circumstances, any contact by accident with lthe spring C when the connectors are sepa rated,and it also serves to guide the parts together in uniting, so that the-springs will be properly presented to each other.

As an additional means of guarding against danger to human life,I show in Figs. 1,2, and 5 a sliding protector E, which consists of a cylindrical or other shaped tube, according to the shape of the terminal over which it is to slide, and having 'an inwardly-projecting lla-nge e, to serve as a stop to prevent its dropping ol the terminal when the two are separated and have dropped to the hanging position shown in Fig. 2. A shoulder on the handle forms'an abutment for said stop e. When IOC the ytwo' terminals or parts of the connector A are united, as in Figs. 1 and 5, the outer ends of the sliding protectors abut against each other and' are pushed back; but when the two are pulled apart and they hang downward the protector drops to the position as shown in Fig. 2, and a person passing and touching it cannot accidentally come in contact with the spring C. y v

In Fig. 5 the terminals or parts of the connector are also duplicates of each other, but are for double-wire connection. In this gure the two Wires are connected one to a socket in the insulating-blockG and the other to a split pin projecting therefrom.

The object of forming the two parts of the connector exactly alike, it will be understood,

is that when used for an electric conductorin a railway-ear no difference will result when a car of a train is turned about or end for end.

In Fig. 6I illustrate a modification in which, instead of a sliding or a sleeve protector, I secure to the outside of the outer fer-rule cl a second semi-tubular protector G', of the same shape as the protector D,but of course larger in diameter, and its location being diametrically opposite the protector D. In slipping two such terminals or parts of the' connector together the action is the same as in the construction shown in Fig. l; but, the sliding tubes being omitted and the iiXed semi-tubes taking their place, the edges or sides g of the l.latter engage each other outside the fel-rules precisely the same as do the sides .of the semitubes D inside the outer ferrules.

Having, thus described my invention, I claim- 1. An electric connector consisting of a pair of duplicate parts, each of said parts having a semi-tubular proj eetion and a semi-annular recess, and a flat contact C, of spring material, rigidly secured at one end to the terminal of the conductor and having its other end bent at an obtuse angle in one directicp and then at asimilar angle in the other direction, substantially as described. l

2. An electric connector colisistin g of a pair of Vduplicate parts, each having a semi-tubular projection and diametric'ally opposite thereto a semi-annular recess of a depth equal.z to the length of the projection,substantially- 5. The combination, with the handleA, 1on1 gitudinally bored and having shoulders a a', of the block b, having contact-spring C and the screw-threaded pin b', and the conductor B, havingthreaded thimble b2, substantially as described. f y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ot two subscribing Witnesses.'

FRANK W'HEELER.

VitneSSes:

D. N. NVILLIAMS, LOUIS FIsK. 

